Monaco Health Insurance

Monaco Medical Insurance

The Principality of Monaco is the second smallest independent state in the world. The tiny urban nation, a constitutional monarchy, is bordered by France on three sides and occupies less than two square kilometers of the Cote d'Azur, where the Alps Maritimes meet the Mediterranean. With a population just exceeding thirty thousand people, Monaco is the world’s most densely populated sovereign land. The country is divided into four areas: Monaco-Ville, the Condamine, Monte-Carlo, and Fontvieille. Monaco is a safe, crime-free location, with a strong police presence. The economy revolves around high class tourism and an international banking sector.

Monaco boasts remarkable health statistics and a very high standard of living. According to the WHO, a person born in Monaco in 2003 can expect to live 81 years on average, the longest lifespan in Europe. Monaco has a first-rate standard of compulsory state funded healthcare which provides quality of medical service to those within the principality. There are also supplemental private healthcare facilities that will provide additional health procedures. Medical professionals in Monaco are well educated and highly trained. Hospitals and clinics in Monaco have the most recent medical technology and are capable of treating a wide array of health issues. The entire population has access to safe water and sanitation.

The Monegasque health care system is similar to the French system, whereby it is run on a private basis through which everyone must contribute. The Caisses Sociales de Monaco (CSM) is the compulsory social security system for employed and self-employed citizens working in The Principality of Monaco. The Monegasque public healthcare system is available to all citizens and long-term residents of Monaco, who have paid contributions to the CSM. French and Italian citizens are also entitled to public health facilities in Monaco provided they have evidence of regular contribution to their home country’s state health care scheme. The Monegasque health care system will reimburse patients between 80 and 100 % of the cost for certain medical procedures and some hospitalizations.

Monegasque employers and employees are both required to contribute to the CSM. Employers pay 24 % of gross payroll for healthcare and employees pay 15 % of earnings for all social security benefits, which include healthcare. Employers need to register new employees with the CSM scheme when they first start working in Monaco. Dependant family members are covered through the CSM contributions paid by employed persons in the family. Vulnerable groups who cannot afford to make healthcare contributions (be they elderly pensioners, the unemployed, those with long-term illness or women on maternity leave) can all still access the state’s medical facilities. Foreign nationals immigrating to Monaco without employment must have full private health insurance. Proof of such cover will be needed to be granted a residency permit by the Monegasque authorities. Expatriates living in Monaco will need to prove that they have Monegasque health insurance to guarantee they are medically covered if health treatment is required and that their costs will be met.

Upon registering with the state social security system, you will be given a medical insurance card (Carte Vitale), which you will need to present each time you visit a medical professional, hospital or pharmacy in Monaco. The Carte Vitale is used for administrative purposes in order to streamline information on health service charges and repayments but not for storing personal medical details. The Monegasque state healthcare fund is comprehensive and covers the medical costs a patient incurs from using health services, including hospitalization, medical prescriptions, dental care, specialist treatment, rehabilitation, pregnancy and childbirth, reimbursing between 80 and 100% of the these costs. The rates applied by medical practitioners and services are classified into three categories based on income and family size: a standard rate, a rate that is 20 % above the standard rate, and a fee set by prior agreement with the service provider.

Private healthcare options are available in Monaco. There are many private practices provided by independent office-based doctors and specialists who cater to international clients as well as locals. These facilities, equipment and staff are all funded by the doctors themselves and through private insurance contributions. Citizens thus take out additional private health insurance to cover the medical services and fees not paid for by the state system.

Doctors, known as médecin traitant, are the first point of contact in Monaco’s public healthcare system. Monegasque citizens can register with the doctor of their choice; however, those seeking state medical care must make sure that their doctor is contracted by the CSM. If treated by anyone other than a state funded doctor, you will be liable to pay the medical fees yourself. GPs employed through the CSM can prescribe pharmaceuticals and referrals to specialists and state hospitals, treat acute and chronic illnesses, and provide preventive care and promote health education.

The Monegasque government places a high priority on the quality of care provided at its state-run health care facilities. There are three hospitals in the country, all based in the capital Monte Carlo. The Princess Grace Hospital operates as the state’s largest general hospital and is fully equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment and a 24-hour emergency department. The Cardio-Thoracic Centre of Monaco is dedicated to treating thoracic and cardiac illness while the Haemodialysis Centre specializes in kidney related illness. In an emergency event, patients will be taken to the Princess Grace Hospital, which is fully equipped to handle trauma patients and medical emergencies. The Princess Grace Hospital will treat a patient in an emergency situation without medical insurance. Once stabilized, proof of insurance will be required; otherwise the patient will be liable for all medical costs incurred. In Monaco, the country-wide phone number for emergency medical and ambulance services is 9375-2525.

Monaco’s medical facilities and staff are on par with the highest international standards. Foreign visitors can receive medical treatment at all three public hospitals; however, without state insurance they will be forced to pay for all healthcare services rendered. Medical costs in Monaco are very expensive and a foreign national should ensure they have a full Monegasque international health insurance plan to give them comprehensive medical coverage. It is recommended that you include cover for repatriation in case in extreme medical circumstances and the need to be evacuated to your home nation for further medical treatment. European citizens take note that Monaco is not a member of the European Union and therefore EU reciprocal medical arrangements with its neighboring countries do not apply. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) will not provide health cover in Monaco.